


dreaded dragon of my heart

by earlgrey_milktea



Series: milktea's saso2017 fills [13]
Category: Haikyuu!!
Genre: Alternate Universe - Dragons, Alternate Universe - Fantasy, Attempt at Humor, Dragon Slayer AU, Dragons, First Meetings, Gen
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-12
Updated: 2017-06-12
Packaged: 2018-11-13 08:31:25
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 982
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11180961
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/earlgrey_milktea/pseuds/earlgrey_milktea
Summary: wannabe dragon slayer chikara sets out to slay the dragon occupying the mountain peak above his village, only to discover that said dragon is a lot less terrifying than the stories he grew up with.





	dreaded dragon of my heart

**Author's Note:**

> original prompt [here](http://sportsanime.dreamwidth.org/21522.html?thread=10843154#cmt10843154)

The town of Karasuno is nestled in the valley next to a mountain. “Crow’s Peak,” they called it. No one ever dared go far up the mountain. Those who did never came back. 

Chikara grew up hearing stories about the dragon that lives at the top of the mountain. He’s been warned to stay indoors at night and to wear dark colours that don’t reflect sunlight, should the dragon fly overhead. All his life, he’s looked out the window and wondered at what lay at the top of the mountain. 

On his eighteenth birthday, armed with a secondhand broadsword he’d saved up from his meager earnings on the farms and a brand new cloak his mother had sewn for him. Today, he’s going to conquer that mountain and get rid of that dragon terrorizing his people. 

Today, Chikara is going to be a hero.

The townspeople follow him to the edge of the forest, where a winding trail disappears into the trees. He bows one last time, and then steps into the woods. He won’t return until he’s defeated the dragon.

The journey is much longer than he expected. The forest is thick and rife with wildlife. Chikara finds himself dodging deer and squirrels and shoving aside leaves larger than his entire body. He has to stop and make camp at least twice before he finally sees a break through the trees. He steps into the clearing, and stops.

The air is colder up here, but there’s a strange lack of wind. Chikara glances around, but there is nothing but grass. Not even a single chirp from the birds. The hair on the back of his neck rises, and Chikara lifts his sword apprehensively.

Then—

A rush of wind overhead causes him to stumble. His hair flies into his face, and he tries to blow them out of his eyes, struggling to see what is happening. A shadow falls over where he stands. Chikara freezes.

When he finally looks up, he nearly drops his sword. The dragon is... a lot smaller than he expected. It’s slate gray in colour, almost blue in the sunlight. Its eyes are wide and so dark Chikara’s half-afraid of falling in. It sits in the centre of the clearing, tail curling against its legs as it stares at Chikara calmly.

“Uh,” Chikara says. “You’re... the dragon?”

A huff escapes the dragon’s mouth, and Chikara swears he sees smoke. He clenches his hand around his sword, hoping that the dragon didn’t see how much his hand was shaking.

“Sorry for intruding,” Chikara says, because he might work on a farm but his mother raised him right, thank you very much. “But I’ve come to get rid of you.”

The dragon cocks its head, and Chikara cannot rid himself of the notion that the dragon is looking at him in amusement. 

He’s a little insulted.

Chikara waves his sword. “I mean it! Everyone knows there’s a scary dragon up here and... Well, you’re a lot less scary than I thought you’d be, but you know.”

The dragon lays its head down. Chikara tries not to stare at the claws glinting under the sunlight. 

“Um. You’re just going to lay there? Not going to burn me to a crisp?”

A cloud of smoke envelopes Chikara, and he coughs. He scowls at the dragon. “Please take me seriously. I can’t go home empty-handed.”

The dragon seems to consider this. It climbs back onto its feet, and Chikara bites his lip to keep from gaping as wings spread from its back. The wings are almost translucent under the light, blue and veiny, but powerful just the same. The dragon shakes itself, and then waves its tail at Chikara.

_ Since you came all the way up here, I’ll give you a ride down. _

Chikara blinks. Then scrambles backwards, dropping his sword. “What the—did you just—You speak human?”

He can’t see that high, but Chikara is pretty sure the dragon just rolled its eyes.  _ Every one of you that comes up here wanted something. I can give you gold if you need it, otherwise you should just go home. _

“But... but you’re the dragon at the top of Crow’s Peak?”

_ Yes _ , the dragon huffs, amused still. 

“What happened to the others before me?”

_ I dropped them on the other side of the mountain. They didn’t want to go home. _

Chikara frowns. “Cowards,” he mutters, and the dragon huffs again, this time in a distinctly laughing manner. Chikara stares up at him thoughtfully. “So you just live here, by yourself?”

The dragon flicks its tail again.  _ I lost my pack when I got hurt, so I can only fly short distances now. It’s fine, there’s lots of wildlife here. And you humans are great cooks. _

“You don’t eat humans?”

_ You guys don’t taste all that good, you know. _

Chikara scratches his head. “Sorry.”

The dragon steps forwards, and Chikara resists the urge to run. But he only feels a soft puff on his head, ruffling his hair. He stares up at the dragon, at those dark dark eyes that seem less like an endless chasm of emptiness and more like the beginnings of a warm campfire. 

_ You ready to go home now? _

Chikara glances at where his secondhand sword lies in the grass. Then he glances back at the dragon. “Okay,” he says. “Just one last question. What’s your name?”

The dragon dips its head, meeting Chikara’s eyes fully. Chikara has the impression that it’s smiling.  _ That’s the first time someone asked me for my name _ , the dragon whispers.  _ Tanaka. Tanaka Ryuunosuke. _

“Tanaka,” Chikara repeats. He gives the dragon a small smile. “Do you mind if I come back to visit you, Tanaka Ryuunosuke?”

The dragon tosses its head, and ruffles Chikara’s hair with its breath again. This time when it smiles, Chikara doesn’t flinch at the sight of those sharp, sharp teeth.

**Author's Note:**

> @puddingcatbae on tumblr and twitter!!


End file.
